sIx] WINDBREAKS AND HEDGES 
healthy; but, if hacked with saw and axe, they soon 
become diseased, and the homes of pestiferous in- 
sects; they are then brittle before the wind. 
Another economic windbreak may be made of 
apple trees. When there is only one row these 
can be planted as close as twenty feet. Care 
must be taken, however, in selecting tough-wooded 
sorts. Most of our seedlings are not easily broken, 
but Baldwins and Roxbury Russets would soon 
become a mass of brushwood. The Wealthy, the 
Duchess, the Golden Russet, the McIntosh, and 
nearly all apples of the Pippin family, especially the 
White Pippin, will stand firm, and bear heavy loads 
of fruit. You will, however, have to keep out suck- 
ers and look out for borers, exactly as you woud in 
an orchard. Crab apples are especially adaptable 
for making these protective walls, and they are very 
useful for fruitage. Set them about fifteen feet 
apartinarow. Let all apple trees, crabs included, 
branch out four or five feet from the ground. They 
will then bend down enough, with the first load of 
fruit, to make the wall close and compact. A 
hedge of Martha, Florence, or Whitney crab will 
be glorious in blossom, and especially glorious in 
fruit. 
[109 ] 
